Over thousand tourists, guides rescued during weeklong lockdown against COVID-19

1,330 foreign tourists and Nepali tourist guides left stranded at several places due to the nationwide lockdown have been rescued

A total of 1,330 foreign tourists and Nepali tourist guides left stranded at several places due to the nationwide lockdown have been rescued.

As per the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) tourists were rescued from 19 different touristic areas including Pokhara, Lukla, Taplejung, Jomsom, Annapurna Base Camp, Muktinath, Langtang, Manaslu, Gorkha, Lete, Besisahar, Kande, Sankhuwasabha, Jhapa, Beni and Jhinudanda. They were rescued via chartered flights. Most rescues were from Lukla in Solukhumbu district.

According to Trekking Agencies Association of Nepal (TAAN), 85 tourist guides were airlifted to Kathmandu from Lukla region on Sunday and Monday. Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) stated that Lukla had five rescue flights alone this morning.

Meanwhile, the Nepal Army has been granted permission to make rescue flights to Dhangadhi, Surkhet and Biratnagar, said CAAN spokesperson Raj Kumar Chhetri.